Billie Holiday – Lady In Autumn (Comp. 1991) (Verve) (2-CD)

There is an on-going dispute between Holiday fans: is Billie Holiday more interesting at the beginning of her career, when her voice was at its best, or at the end of her career, when her interpretive skills were at their finest? My preference is for the latter, and LADY IN AUTUMN offers a truly fine sampling of later Billie Holiday recordings.
Even at its youthful best, Billie Holiday's distinctive, very quirky voice was never noted for any of the qualities we usually applaud in great singers: Holiday's range, power, and breath support were always more than a little ify. But Holiday showed a remarkable facility for shaping her voice much as sculptor might, and she transformed her vocal defects into an astonishing personal idiom that has never failed to mix musical delight with raw emotional power. And this ability was at its height toward the end of her career.
It is true, however, that Holiday's later recordings are an acquired taste, and listeners who are new to her unique stylings may be put off by the vocal roughness of her later work. But for those who have already listened to an enjoyed her earlier work, Billie Holiday's LADY IN AUTUMN will be a revelation.

Please note that these are old but good rips, made with an old EAC version, and coming from my archives on external hard disc. The package for covers contains only front, back and disc scans in 300Dpi.

Tracklists:

CD 1:

01. Body And Soul
02. Strange Fruit
03. Trav'lin' Light
04. All Of Me
05. There Is No Greater Love
06. I Cover The Waterfront
07. These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)
08. Tenderly
09. Autumn In New York
10. My Man
11. Stormy Weather
12. Yesterdays
13. He's Funny That Way
14. What A Little Moonlight Can Do
15. I Cried For You (Now It's Your Turn To Cry Over Me)
16. Too Marvelous For Words
17. I Wished On The Moon
18. I Don't Want To Cry Anymore
19. Prelude To A Kiss

CD 2:

01. Nice Work If You Can Get It
02. Come Rain Or Come Shine
03. What's New
04. God Bless The Child
05. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
06. April In Paris
07. Lady Sings The Blues
08. Don't Explain
09. Fine And Mellow
10. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
11. Stars Fell On Alabama
12. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
13. Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
14. Lover Man
15. All The Way
16. Don't Worry 'Bout Me